good a little truth might do, fpoken in such seasons. A fmall alms will do a great kindness to people in extreme neceffity.

I could name an acquaintance of yours, who would at this time think himself more obliged to you for the information of his faults, than the confirmation of his follies. If you would make those the subject of a letter, it might be as long as I could wifh your letters always were.

I do not wonder you have hitherto found fome difficulty (as you are pleased to fay) in writing to me, fince you have always chofen the task of commending me: take but the other way, and, I dare engage, you will find none at all.

As for my verfes, which you praise fo much, I may truly fay they have never been the cause of any vanity in me, except what they gave me when they first occafioned my acquaintance with you. But I have several times fince been in danger of this vice; as often, I mean, as I received any letters from you. 'Tis certain, the greatest magnifying glaffes in the world are a man's own eyes, when they look upon his own person; yet even in those, I cannot fancy myself fo extremely like Alexander the Great, as you would perfuade me. If I must be like him, 'tis you will make me fo, by complimenting me into a better opinion of myself than I deferve: They made him think he was the fon of Jupiter, and you affure me I am a man of parts. But is this all you can fay

to

to my honour? you faid ten times as much before, when you call'd me your friend. After having made me believe 1 poffefs'd a fhare in your affection, to treat me with compliments and fweet fayings, is like the proceeding with poor Sancho Pancho: they perfuaded him, that he enjoyed a great dominion, and then gave him nothing to fubfift upon but wafers and marmalade. In our days the greatest obligations you can lay upon a Wit, is to make a fool of him. For as when madmen are found incurable, wife men give them their way, and please them as well as they can; fo when those incorrigible things, Poets, are once irrecoverably be-mus'd, the best way both to quiet them, and secure yourself from the effects of their frenzy, is to feed their vanity; which indeed, for the most part, is all that is fed in a Poet.

You may believe me, I could be heartily glad that all you fay were as true, applied to me, as it would be to yourfelf, for feveral weighty reafons; but for none fo much as that I might be to you what you deserve; whereas I can now be no more than is confiftent with the fmall though utmoft capacity of, etc.

I

LETTER VIII.

Oct. 26, 1705.

HAVE now changed* the scene from the town to the country; from Will's coffee-house to Windfor Foreft. I find no other difference than this, betwixt the common town-wits, and the downright country-fools, that the first are pertly in the wrong, with a little more flourish and gaiety; and the last neither in the right nor the wrong, but confirmed in a ftupid fettled medium betwixt both. However, methinks, these are most in the right, who quietly and easily refign themselves over to the gentle reign of dulnefs, which the Wits must do at last, though after a great deal of noise and resistance. Ours are a fort of modeft inoffenfive people, who neither have fenfe nor pretend to any, but enjoy a jovial fort of dulness: They are commonly known in the world by the name of honeft, civil gentlemen: They live much as they ride, at random; a kind of hunting life, pursuing with earnestness and hazard something not worth the catching; never in the way, nor out of it. I can't but prefer folitude to the company of all thefe; for though a man's felf may poffibly be the worst fellow to converse with in the world, yet one would think the company of a perfon whom we

have

* In this Letter he has excelled Wycherley in his own way ftriving to be always witty and fatirical.

of

have the greatest regard to and affection for, could not be very unpleafant. As a man in love with a mistress, defires no converfation but hers, fo a man in love with himself (as moft men are) may be best pleased with his own. Befides, if the trueft and most useful knowledge be the knowledge of ourfelves, folitude conducing most to make us look into ourselves, fhould be the most instructive state of life.

We fee nothing more commonly than men, who for the fake of the circumftantial part and mere outfide of life, have been half their days rambling out of their nature, and ought to be fent into folitude to study themselves over again. People are usually spoiled, instead of being taught, at their coming into the world; whereas, by being more converfant with Obscurity, without any pains, they would naturally follow what they were meant for. In a word, if a man be a coxcomb, Solitude is his best School; and if he be a fool, it is his best Sanctuary.

These are good reasons for my own stay here, but I wish I could give you any for your coming hither, except that I earnestly invite you. And yet I can't help faying I have fuffered a great deal of discontent that you do not come, though I fo little merit that. you fhould.

I must complain of the fhortness of your laft. Those who have moft wit, like those who have most money, are generally moft fparing of either.

LETTER IX.

FROM MR. WYCHERLEY.

Nov. 5, 1705.

OURS of the 26th of October I have received,

YOURS

as I have always done yours, with no little fatif faction, and am proud to discover by it, that you find fault with the fhortnefs of mine, which I think the best excufe for it: And though they (as you fay) who have most wit or money are most sparing of either; there are fome who appear poor to be thought rich, and are poor, which is my cafe. I cannot but rejoice that you have undergone fo much difcontent for want of my company: But if you have a mind to punifh me for my fault (which I could not help) defer your coming to town, and you will do it effectually. But I know your charity always exceeds your revenge, fo that I will not defpair of seeing you, and, in return to your inviting me to your foreft, invite you to my foreft, the town; where the beafts that inhabit, tame or wild, of long ears or horns, pursue one another either out of love or hatred. You may have the pleasure to fee one pack of blood-hounds purfue another herd of brutes, to bring each other to their fall, which is their whole fport: Or if you affect a less bloody chace, you may see a pack of spaniels, called lovers, in a hot purfuit of a two-legged vixen,